Erinyes
by Magi Silverwolf
Summary: The world had learned that Tony Stark was Iron Man, but there was more that Tony brought back from Afghanistan just like there was more that he had left unresolved before his captivity. Hopefully, he and his new ward can handle the Furies descending upon them. (Sequel!)
1. Tisphone

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the original canon nor am I making any profit from writing this piece. All works are accredited to their original authors, performers, and producers while this piece is mine. No copyright infringement is intended. I acknowledge that all views and opinions expressed herein are merely my interpretations of the characters and situations found within the original canon and may not reflect the views and opinions of the original author(s), producer(s), and/or other people.

**Warnings:** This story may contain material that is not suitable for all audiences and may offend some readers. Beyond the possible offense, there's also the usual references to canon child abuse (including food issues) and Afghanistan. Forewarning to this fic not being SHIELD friendly, because of canon & logic. Please exercise understanding of personal sensitivities before and during reading.

**Author's Note(s):** I've been barely keeping my head above water, so that's why I haven't been writing fic things as much. Everything has been progressing but not evenly and not to the point of getting anything publishable. Also, I think I still need to finish the post about August's scores for the writing forum I run. Here's the first of the bridge to the second Iron Man movie, though.

**Series Information:** For those of you just tuning in, this is a direct sequel to _Daedalus Bound_ and is a part of _The Purpose of Aeries_ series. This piece will only be three parts and will act as a bridge to the fic that will cover the events of _Iron Man 2_. Reading at least _Daedalus Bound_ will be necessary to understand this fic. Tony & Rhodey are not and will never be in a romantic relationship in this series. However, they are in a Queer Platonic Relationship (QPR). I call this version of the ship "Iron Zucchinis". Feel free to join my pool noodle.

**Challenge/Competition Block**:  
**Stacked with:** MC4A  
**Individual Challenges:** Hola, Bonjour, Jambo; Iron Son; Misunderstood (Y); Logical Crossing; Death's Inevitable Master; Finding Family; Metahuman MC; SHIELD MC; Mastermind MC; Hacker MC; Hitter MC; Seeds; The First Phase; Old Shoes (x2); Team Logic; Marvelous Cinema; Themes & Things A [Love]; Themes & Things B [Protection]; Feeling So Logical []; Ethnic & Present; Neurodivergent; Tiny Terror; Quiet Time; Rian-Russo Inversion; Flags & Ribbons; Laws; Letter of the Day; Short Jog  
**Space Address (Prompt):** Fall Bingo [4C] (Dusk/Sunset)  
**Representation:** Tony Stark & Harry Potter; Autistic Tony Stark; Autistic Harry Potter; Nick Fury  
**Bonus Challenge(s):** Turtle-Duck; Casper's House; Second Verse (Persistence Still; Found Family; Nontraditional; Zucchini Bread; Middle Name; Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice; For the Vine; Lovely Coconuts; Grease Monkey; Lyre Liar; Most Human Bean; Muck & Slime; Rock of Ages); Chorus (Pear-Shaped; Wabi Sabi; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Mouth of Babes; Tomorrow's Shade; A Long Dog; Larger than Life; Unicorn; Abandoned Ship)  
**Tertiary Bonus Challenges:** T3 (Tether); SN (Rail; Ameliorate); FR (Liberation); O3 (Orator; Oust)  
**Word Count**: 2974

**AO3 Tagging Block:**

**Fandom Tag(s): **Harry Potter – JK Rowling; Marvel Cinematic Universe; Iron Man (Movies)

**Relationship Tag(s):** Tony Stark & Harry Potter; The Iron Family; Harry Potter & the Iron Family; Tony Stark & James "Rhodey" Rhodes

**Character Tag(s):** Tony Stark

**Additional Tag(s):** Iron Man End Credit Scene; MCU Comic Tie-Ins; Ignores the Copyright Divide; Sequel; Iron Son; Iron Zucchinis; Tony/Rhodey QPR; The Dursleys' A+ Parenting; Howard Stark's A+ Parenting; SHIELD's A+ Human Rights Record; Nicholas J Fury; Harry Potter is a Mutant; Master of Death Harry Potter; Child Harry Potter; Past Child Abuse; Food Issues; Past Non-Consensual Body Modification; Autistic Harry Potter; Autistic Tony Stark

-= LP =-  
**Erinyes**  
Part 01: Tisphone  
-= LP =-

Happy had barely stopped the car before the back-passenger door opened and Harry was launching his small body at Tony. The six-year-old clung to Tony as if they had been separated for days instead of just a few hours. Tony didn't say that, though, because he was capable of thinking before he spoke, regardless of the scolding he had just received from Pepper about how he had addressed the now _very noticeable_ absence of Obadiah Stane at the press launch of the new Stark Tablet. Tony really couldn't help that he wasn't concerned about it, even if he wasn't telling anyone about what had happened that night. Telling anyone would bring even more attention to the child who still figuring out how to sleep in a bed regularly, and everything in Tony refused to allow that.

Harry was _his_, and he had been since that first brief flash of eye contact in the cave. Tony wasn't going to let anyone take him; he was going to let anyone hurt the kid any more than he had already been. People-eating shadows or not, Harry wasn't going to be anyone's lab rat or weapon. He wasn't going to be anyone's tool, not like Tony had inadvertently been for so many years.

None of that stopped Tony from recognizing that Harry's need to keep him in sight at all times was probably unhealthy. The kid seemed to be under the impression that Tony was going to spontaneously keel over if he couldn't see him. Given the track record they were building between them, Tony understood Harry's line of reasoning. That didn't change that it was an issue that needed to be resolved, especially if Harry was ever going to be able to have anything resembling a normal childhood.

Judging by the pinched look on Happy's face, today's trip to the park did not go well. That was not promising. Only Rhodey had been able to get the kid to play, even if only with things that didn't require other children. If Happy's silent headshake was anything to go by, this trip didn't even have that.

"Did he eat?" Tony asked, mostly because Happy had texted that he was going to stop off to get something on the way back to the SI campus. Happy sighed as he leaned on the roof of the town car. Harry snuffled into Tony's stomach.

"Just the milkshake and a handful of animal crackers," Happy answered. Tony silently cursed, knowing that the animal crackers were more likely to be in one of Harry's pockets instead of his stomach. Happy's eyes darted from the security camera back to Tony's face. "I packed up the burger and fries. Maybe you'll have more luck, boss."

"Yeah, of course," Tony agreed. He shuffled himself and his cling-on towards the still open car door. Harry reluctantly allowed them to get back in the car. After they were back on the road and Tony had gotten Harry to begin nibbling on his cooling fries, Tony asked the question that Happy had signaled him needed to be asked. "Was there an incident?"

"Not with Harry directly," Happy said carefully, "and honestly, I'm not certain that we can do anything about it yet. It was that guy from SHIELD—you know, the one that Pepper had banned? He didn't try to approach or anything, but he hung around, _watching_. I think it's what had the kid so worked up."

Harry laid his head on Tony's leg, silently derailing any response that Tony could have made. Happy nodded at him through the review mirror. It was probably best not to talk about it around Harry. That was how JARVIS' advice typically ran. Since JARVIS hadn't steered them wrong about Harry yet, Tony should probably follow it. After all, JARVIS had done more direct research into child psychology than Tony had had a chance to do.

Maybe Jenny had a point getting the kid a therapist, even if he hadn't had the courage to open the reading material that she had sent him. But who could Tony trust with the kid? While the few weeks had seen Harry talking more, he still didn't do well with strangers. Tony had moved them both up to the actual bedrooms but most nights, Harry ended up sleeping with Tony or slipping back down to the nest he had made in the bots' charging closet. Pepper had been spot-on with her food issues prediction, but Harry had started to show preferences, and just yesterday, he had actually said that he was hungry when asked. He still soaked up affection as if starved but the initial stiffness like he didn't know what was happening was almost completely gone, at least with Tony and Rhodey. Harry was still hesitant with both Pepper and Happy.

That's a lot of ground to lose if Tony trusted the wrong person, even before taking into consideration that Harry had at least one active mutation. Tony hesitated to describe the shadows as anything that Harry actually created, no matter how responsive they were to the kid. Analyzing recordings of various events, the shadows stuck Tony as more like an overly eager rottweiler than something Harry could control like his memory thing. The jury was still out on that being a good thing or not, but Tony couldn't help the shiver of fear that accompanied the idea of what Stane would have done with that.

All the more reason to keep Harry away from outsiders if at all possible.

Harry was asleep by the time they had gotten back to the mansion. Happy was a godsend as he opened first the car door and then the front door. Tony honestly didn't see how single parents managed. Juggling a kid who turned into a koala in his sleep while fighting with doors sounded harder than figuring out why people even liked eggs.

"You need help getting him to bed, boss?" Happy asked.

"Nah," Tony answered, automatically adjusting his hold as Harry shifted closer in his sleep. Harry's arms were around Tony's neck and Tony just knew that he wasn't going to have an easy time getting the kid to let go when it came time to set him down anywhere, "I should be able to handle it from here. You're free to go get yourself some real food. I know that you wouldn't have eaten either."

"It's just weird if he's not going to eat," Happy replied, sounding tired despite how it was barely evening. The orange light of sunset made the way he blushed seem more severe than normal. "And if I finish my portion, he'll offer his, and there's no winning move there. Kid looks crushed either way."

"Yeah," Tony acknowledged. He rubbed a hand down Harry's back. "Can't say that I wouldn't do the same. His eyes are lethal weapons. Go eat now."

"Yes, _Mom_," Happy sassed. "I'll even include a vegetable."

"You had better," Tony threatened. Even as light as he was, Harry was starting to get heavy. As intuitive as ever, Happy nodded and gestured Tony through the front door. Tony took the opportunity to leave the conversation, tossing a last rejoinder over his shoulder. "Don't think I'll forget about that _Mom_ comment either. You're not too old for me to adopt, you know."

"Whatever, boss," Happy said with a good-natured roll of his eyes. "Just focus on the kid you've got for now. Little guy is enough for anyone."

Before Tony could reply to that, Happy had pulled the door shut behind Tony. He supposed that was for the best. Harry really did need to be put to bed or at least the new sectional that Tony had ordered for the living room. Then again, maybe Tony shouldn't let him nap this late in the evening. Didn't JARVIS say something about stable routines being necessary?

"Hey, JARVIS," Tony called out as he moved through the hall that opened into the living room, "can you bring up the lights? I need to be able to see enough to not trip."

"You are a difficult man to get a hold, Stark," said a voice out of the dark shadows near the patio windows. Tony froze in the doorway, a terrible sense of _déjà vu _sending flickers of fear through him. In his arms, Harry shifted in his sleep and brushed his forehead against Tony's neck. The image of Obie removing the reactor from Tony's chest overlaid itself on the scene like a silent hologram, not helped in the least by how the stranger was standing in the same spot. "Especially when you refuse to let my best agent onto any of your properties in a fit of pettiness."

"Did you ever think about making an appointment through the appropriate channels?" Tony snarked. "I've got the twelfth of _never_ open, just for home invaders who like to lurk in the shadows."

His eyes instinctively sought out the interface dome near where the patio windows met the stone wall that supported the fireplace and mantle. His stomach untwisted at the sight of the bright green light. He concentrated on that as he slid the hand that he had in between Harry's shoulders to cup the back of the kid's neck. Unseen by their intruder, Harry's hands relaxed their hold a bit. No matter how much this resembled the recent murder attempt by Obie, they still had JARVIS in some capacity. If they had JARVIS, then it was likely that Rhodey and Happy were already contacted. Tony just had to buy them time to do what they needed to.

"And give you another opportunity to threaten to have my people arrested? I think not," the man countered. He stepped into the dimming light coming from the setting sun outside. The leather duster was a nice touch that screamed either spy or villain, especially with the matching leather eye patch over the man's left eye. "Mr. Stark, I'm Colonel Nick Fury, Director of—"

"You know," Tony interrupted, "I just remembered that I really don't care who you are or what shady organization you lead. If you leave now, I'll give you a head start before alerting my new security guy. Maybe you've heard of him? Big guy. Repulsor rays. I think you'd like him."

"Ah, yes," Fury said as if Tony hadn't just threatened to bat him around some, "Iron Man. That was a foolish thing you did, announcing your identity to the world like that. You just joined a bigger world than you know."

"You'd be surprised what I know about the world." Tony's arms tightened around Harry reflexively. Unfortunately, Fury caught the shift and focused on the boy. Tony watched as emotions flitted across the man's face, too fast and muffled for Tony to be able to follow them all. Harry trembled a bit, an action that Tony could see that the shadows behind Fury copying. "Why are you here? More importantly, why haven't you taken me up on my very generous offer let you leave?"

"Mr. Stark, I came here to offer you an opportunity—"

"Are you kidding me here?" Tony scoffed. The recessed lighting along the stairs leading down to the workshop fluxed at the same time that Tony felt Harry swallow hard. "You know who I am. Opportunities are not offered. They are taken."

"Like you took that boy from his family?" Fury snapped. "Is he just another _opportunity_ taken by the great Tony Stark? What is so special about this kid that keeps you from returning him to his parents now that you're safely back in the country?"

"I'd love to tell you, Furry," Tony bit out as he gritted his teeth against the memories leaking from Harry through their points of skin contact. With practice, the kid had been gaining more control over that, but judging by the pain laced under the vocal track of being told how much his pre-Ten Rings guardians had hated him, Harry was too close to a panic attack to help it. That just made it even more necessary to get this intruder as far away as humanly possible. "But I really don't think you'd understand. Not to mention that I don't want to. So, last chance to leave before I introduce you to Iron Man."

"You think you're the only superhero out there?" Fury demanded. "You're not that _special_, Stark. I was going to invite you to the Avengers Initiative—"

"I am not a superhero at all," Tony interrupted again, just to aggravate the man some more. He really was as irascible as his name suggested. Seriously, did this guy not actually understand who he was dealing with? Tony had dealt with worst than him when he was younger than Harry was. "I'm just a futurist doing what needs to be done. Which includes getting my kid to eat his dinner, something that he skipped out on earlier because of _your agent_ stalking him. So, if you will show yourself out, Furry, that would be great."

"It's _Fury_," the man corrected aggressively, "and you should consider your options very carefully, Stark. SHIELD does not deal kindly with terrorists."

"And I don't _deal kindly_ with stalkers," Tony countered. "You broke into my house, subdued my security system in the process, after _your agent_ harassed my kid and got permanently banned from all my properties for it. After the stunt he pulled earlier in the park, I'm sure I can even get a restraining order, too. Keep making threats and I'll include you in the paperwork, too."

"Where's your CFO, Stark?" Fury asked undeterred by how the conversation had to be going sideways for him. "No one has seen him in over a week."

"Do you not watch the news, Furry?" Tony asked just to see the man's forehead twitch in irritation. "I don't know where he skived off to, and _I don't care_."

"It's _Fury_, and he's your godfather, Stark," Fury reminded him aggressively. His forehead had been joined by a twitch along his jaw. "He practically raised you, especially after your parents' death. Are you really not concerned that he's missing?"

"Nope," Tony replied, drawing out the oh and popping the pee of the work. "As I announced not even ninety minutes ago, I uncovered evidence of irregularities around him, including his connection to my captivity. He disappeared before my _official government liaison _could process everything to issue a warrant."

"Sure," Fury said, "and the fact that he was cooperating with SHIELD and giving us a much different story has nothing to do with his convenient disappearance."

Tony could only stare at Fury in shock. Surely, the man was not implying what Tony thought he was. First the comment about Tony being a terrorist and now this? SHIELD could not be this stupid. Even for a government agency, this was incredible. Tony would be worried about how close this was to what had actually happened, except for how freaking far it was at the same time. Harry squirmed in Tony's arms as if determined to stare at Fury as well.

"Hey there, kiddo," Fury said, taking advantage of having Harry's attention, "can you tell me your name? I bet your mom and dad are worried sick about you."

"You're mean," Harry said in a flat tone. Tony was surprised that he said anything at all, though, let alone something so close to a challenge and to a stranger. "I'm telling Pepper. She eats mean men for breakfast."

"Yes, she does," Tony agreed, not caring if he sounded just as childish as Harry did. "A pirate wouldn't be very nutritious though, and breakfast is such an important meal."

"Knock, knock," Rhodey said as he strolled into the room behind Tony. Behind him was a couple of uniformed officers. Tony had never been so pleased to see any kind of police in his life. "I brought some friends, Tones, because I heard that there was a party happening. Figured they could act as bouncers for any unauthorized guests."

"Rhodey!" Harry cried, reaching out for him.

Tony let him go as easily as Rhodey accepted the six-year-old. A part of Tony whispered that he should be jealous of how quickly Harry had taken to his platypus. Most of him just understood. For years, Rhodey had been Tony's rock and safe harbor. Nowhere was as safe as having a Rhodes at his back, and with everything that Tony had been piecing together from the memories that Harry had shared, he could not begrudge the kid finally having that.

"What's up, buddy?" Rhodey asked as the cops moved to arrest the suddenly silent director. Rhodey bounced Harry a couple of times. "You seem a bit tense. Did the mean man scare you?"

"Uh-huh," Harry replied, sounding a lot younger than he normally did. Tony was confused for a moment before he spotted how Rhodey had slipped the tip of a finger beneath the hem of Harry's tee shirt. No doubt Rhodey was feeding him lines. "He was asking me all these weird questions."

"All I asked was his name," Fury protested predictably. Tony resisted the urge to gloat as the man took the bait that Rhodey had been getting Harry to lay. The cops clearly were not convinced by the denial. "I have reason to believe that he was kidnapped, and Tony Stark is keeping him from his legal guardians."

"Officers," Tony stated evenly, "I have no clue what this guy is on about."

"It's okay, Mr. Stark," one of the officers said. "We were advised by your bodyguard about the whole situation. We'll take it from here."

Even knowing that they were now officially at war with SHIELD, it was satisfying watching Fury being dragged out of his house in handcuffs.

Pepper was still going to eat Tony for making her life harder.

-= LP =-  
_To Be Continued_  
-= LP =-


	2. Megaera

**Warnings:** This story may contain material that is not suitable for all audiences and may offend some readers. Please exercise understanding of personal sensitivities before and during reading.

**Author's Note(s):** I have repeatedly teased that I'm ignoring the Copyright Divide with this series. For the first time (but not the last), you actually get to see that in action.

**Challenge/Competition Block**:  
**Stacked with:** MC4A (SpB; Primary Circle; Secondary Circle; Tertiary Circle; Generic Circle)  
**Individual Challenges:** Hola, Bonjour, Jambo; Rainbow Focus; Misunderstood; Logical Crossing; Small Fry (Y); Death's Inevitable Master; Sett to Destroy; Finding Family; Metahuman MC; Seeds; No Proof; The First Phase; Old Shoes [Harry Potter] (Y); Old Shoes [MCU]; Team Logic; MCU Who?; Marvelous Cinema; Location, Location, Location; Feeling So Logical [Responsible]; Themes & Things A [Family] (Y); Themes & Things B [Protection] (Y); Themes & Things D [Sofa/Couch/Devan] (Y); Themes & Things E [Dress/Skirt] (Y); Neurodivergent; Tiny Terror; Quiet Time; Rian-Russo Inversion; Flags & Ribbons; Laws; Letter of the Day; Old Flames (Y); Real Family; Short Jog; The Real MC; Two Cakes!  
**Space Address (Prompt):** SpB [2A] (Green)  
**Representation:** Pepper Potts; autistic Tony Stark; autistic Harry Potter; the Iron Fam  
**Bonus Challenge(s):** Under the Bridge; Getting On; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; Persistence Still; White Dress; Found Family; Nontraditional; Middle Name; Mother Hen; Unwanted Advice; Lovely Coconuts; Grease Monkey; Most Human Bean; Muck & Slime; Casper's House; Bad Beans; One Man's Cow; Shiver & Shake); Chorus (Pear-Shaped; Wabi Sabi; Bee Haven; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Mouth of Babes; Tomorrow's Shade; Eternal Boredom; Larger than Life; Unicorn; Creature Feature; Wind Beneath; Abandoned Ship; Head of Perseus; Surprise!; Turtle-Duck; Call Me Dantes; Sitting Hummingbird)  
**Tertiary Bonus Challenges:** T3 (Tether); SN (Rail; Ameliorate); FR (Gestation; Satisfaction); O3 (Orator; Olivine); SHoE (Onus)  
**Word Count**: 2914

-= LP =-  
**Erinyes**  
Part 02: Megaera  
-= LP =-

It all started, as things often did when Tony was even remotely connected, with an unexpected person asking for an appointment. Even more unexpected than a civil attorney from San Francisco asking to meet with her was how JARVIS had slipped it onto her calendar despite how Pepper had already told her own assistant to lose the appointment (a useful trick that Pepper had learned in her first month as Tony's personal assistant). Unfortunately, while JARVIS had wormed his way into all the systems affiliated with Stark Industries, the only places set up for him to be able to interact with people outside of chat rooms was Tony's various workshops and a few select residences.

Which was how Pepper found herself storming into the Malibu mansion aggressively enough that she hoped Tony and Harry were down in the lab.

"JARVIS," she growled, "we're going to have words, you and I, about why I have a meeting scheduled with Anne Weying when I canceled it three times."

"I felt it prudent to hear her out," JARVIS answered. "In order to protect Sir, I do extensive research into people who have indicated some direct conflict with him. Ms. Weying came up in said research as an associate for Edward Brock. Mr. Brock unexpectedly retired from his work as an investigative journalist this last March."

"Blacklisted?" Pepper queried, falling into their well-worn pattern of briefing. Her stance still didn't relax. Jokes aside, JARVIS did not _misbehave_ without some reason nor was he given to deflection like his creator. That meant that this information had relevance to her question. "Who did he assault this time?"

"Unlike the physical altercation between Mr. Brock and Sir last year that drove Mr. Brock from New York," JARVIS said with only mild disapproval (impressive considering that Pepper knew JARVIS did not like how he could not discover what had driving the two men to blows in the first place), "it appears that this issue stems from a story he was doing on Carlton Drake that most likely would have been unfavorable towards Mr. Drake's organization."

"That sounds suspicious," she said slowly. She crossed her arms in front of her, tapping the fingers of one hand on the opposite arm as she frowned at floor. "In fact, that sounds suspiciously like the kind of coverup that Stane had our PR department doing while Tony was missing."

"I am aware of the similarities," JARVIS acknowledged, "especially given how earlier this month Mr. Brock was involved in several incidents that also share characteristics with Stane's behavior, which appears to have culminated into a violent confrontation with Mr. Drake that resulted in the explosion during the launch of the Life Foundation's latest shuttle. Mr. Brock has since tentatively returned to his previous occupation."

"This is very interesting, JARVIS," Pepper said, finally losing patience, "and don't think that we won't be discussing your research methods, but what does this have to do with your insistence that I meet with Ms. Weying?"

"As per your request, I keep passive surveillance on all of Sir's paramours."

"Yes, well, Tony does tend to like them driven and smart." It was a weak defense, Pepper knew, but too many of those one-nightstands and short-term partners had skills that were useful to the interests of Stark Industries as a whole. Using Tony as a barometer to weed out the ones that only looked good on paper was _useful_. She did hope that Tony never figured out how many of his past lovers were now working for SI or one of their affiliates, because it would definitely look bad for how far her meddling tended to go. "Why are you still monitoring Brock, though? They had been broken up for longer than a year even before the fist fight at the Met Gala."

"Ms. Everhart is still within the timeframe designated by the protocol," JARVIS said. A shiver of dread caressed Pepper's gut. "Ms. Everhart has had a rise in doctor appointments in the past few months along with a few significant changes to her purchasing habits. She has also taken to visiting Mr. Brock frequently despite all previous data indicating that their relationship was something of friendly rivalry in their mutual profession. Prior to Ms. Weying requesting an appointment with you, Ms. Everhart met with both her and Mr. Brock."

"What kind of doctor appointments, JARVIS?" she asked despite the feeling that she already knew. There was a reason that she had requested JARVIS keep an eye on Tony's past lovers for twelve months following their last physical encounter with the billionaire. It was her job to take care of Tony's interests, after all.

Before JARVIS confirmed her worry, Tony wandered out of the upstairs hallway. He was carrying Harry who was wearing the hooded bathrobe that was made to look like a frog. Pepper knew that JARVIS had gotten a dozen different robes in the initial bout of clothing, but after Rhodey had commented that Harry looked good as a frog, that particular robe had become his favorite even when Rhodey wasn't there. For every step forward they made with Harry, it seemed like they tripped over themselves for three more.

And now this? Even healthy and well-adjusted children struggled with new children, and regardless of all the improvement that Harry had made in the last month, he was far from either of those things. She needed to press again on getting Harry into therapy, possibly Tony, too.

"Hey, Pep," Tony greeted as he descended the short flight of steps, "we were just about to have some hot chocolate to help finish unwinding after a rather nasty run-in. Want to join us?"

"What happened?" she asked as she followed them. Any potential issues with an unplanned pregnancy that was likely to be Tony's paled in comparison to anything that might need addressed immediately. It wasn't like this was their first scare along these lines. "How did you get into trouble in just a few hours? Who do I need to sue or press charges against? Do I need to do anything more drastic than litigation?"

"What did I tell ya, little bug?" Tony said. He shifted Harry onto the counter between the stove and the fridge. Harry watched him with a worried expression as Tony pulled out all the ingredients necessary to make hot chocolate from scratch. His little fingers twisted the edges of the bathrobe but otherwise remained still while Tony went about it. "Rhodey took the nasty pirate-spy away, and Pepper will keep him that way."

"Pirate-spy? Did Coulson dare come near Harry again?" Pepper growled as she pulled out her phone. She normally didn't approve of violence of any sort, but she would definitely make an exception for the man who had the audacity to frighten Harry into a panic attack. She could always buy another set of heels after embedding a pair into Coulson. "JARVIS, I need the sharpest set of stiletto heels possible. Nothing too expensive but study enough—"

"J, belay that," Tony interrupted without taking his eyes off the milk he was raising to a simmer. "You can't buy shoes with the intent of attacking someone with them, Pep. People get all frowny and throw around alarming terms like _premeditation_. Also, it's kind of hard to help my next crazy idea from behind bars."

"Tony," Pepper scolded, "don't come between a woman and her shoes."

"Pepper," Tony countered, "would you really leave me all by myself with Harry? I'd be a horrible single parent."

Harry turned suddenly wide eyes towards her. The green of them shimmered with just a hint of tears. His bottom lip quivered into the tiniest of pouts. God damn it all. She wasn't strong enough to deny him anything when he looked like that, not even for the sake of avenging him. Huffing a bit, she gave into the urge to close the gap between them so that Harry could lean against her shoulder in the half-hugs he seemed to prefer outside of panic attacks or meltdowns.

"You're not that bad," she corrected weakly. Despite the bad angle, she could see that Harry's pout turned into a small smile, though his eyes stayed just as wide. Even Tony's lips were turned up at the corners, not the sloppy smile he got when he was drinking but the genuine one that she had only seen him give his inventions. "Besides, even without me, you wouldn't be alone. There's always Happy and Rhodey."

"But it wouldn't be the same without you, Ms. Potts."

Tony turned that smile towards her for the first time in all of their years of working together. She felt herself melting inside just like ice left out in the sun. God, she loved them both so much, her beautiful boys. She cleared her throat, refocusing on the matter at hand.

"Tell me everything I missed," she commanded, knowing that she was going to have another thing to sort out for him and not caring. Harry leaned more of his weight into her side as he relaxed into the comfort she was offering. "Leave nothing out, Mr. Stark."

-= LP =-

Anne Weying entered Tony's office like someone who was clearly expecting a fight of some kind. She had paired a pale green blouse with a skirt and blazer of a green so dark that it appeared black. Pepper could tell that she must have been expecting Tony or some other man in how conservative her neckline was. It was the sad state of the world that a woman couldn't show even a hint of clavicle and still expect to be taken seriously. Not that it would have mattered to Tony, anyway, as the genius was more likely to get distracted by the way Weying's fingers were tapping against the handle of her briefcase than any physical traits.

Then again, the attorney was clearly thrown not just by Pepper's presence but also by how Pepper had chosen to be sitting in the conversational group near the door to the in-suite bathroom rather than behind the desk. Pepper knew the power of choosing the comfortable couches instead of the cold and authoritative desk. Honey caught more flies, after all.

"I was under the impression that my appointment was with Mr. Stark," Weying said as she changed trajectories. Operating on autopilot, they shook hands perfunctorily before settling onto the adjacent couches. "What I wish to discuss is a private matter for my client and Mr. Stark."

"If it is what I suspect," Pepper said lightly, "then you really do want to tell me. I handle all of Mr. Stark's affairs in whatever way they require." She gave Weying a wry smile. "Pregnancy claims are actually a frequent issue, Ms. Weying, as one can expect."

"It is not just a claim, Ms. Potts. I have documentation with me showing that my client is pregnant. While she is not willing to undergo any peri-natal paternity testing, due to the potential risks involved, my client is willing to allow such testing once the child has been delivered."

Weying opened her briefcase to pull out a manila folder. Pepper accepted in easily. A quick glance through the papers within showed that they were not the paperwork associated with demands for funds that were standard for these meetings. In fact, if Pepper was not mistaken, it appeared that Everhart was going a completely different direction.

"She isn't asking Mr. Stark to be involved?"

"Correct," Weying confirmed. She looked ashamed to be saying that. Pepper blinked rapidly as she adjusted her mental strategy around that information. Everhart hadn't seemed the kind of person to deny a child one of its parents, no matter how catty their personal interaction had been. There had to be some angle that Pepper was not seeing. Weying continued quietly, "Ms. Everhart also doesn't want him involved financially beyond any medical and education necessities that might arise."

"I see no issue with that expectation," Pepper allowed. She bit the inside of her lip before the thought of how good Tony was with Harry drove her to speak up. "I understand Ms. Everhart's right to make that determination as well as much of the political aspects that go along with having a child with Tony Stark, but I have to ask: why does she not want him involved?"

"He does have a bit of a reputation," Weying said after a moment of debate. Pepper's lips pursed. She knew that Tony's flippant façade had fooled more than one person into thinking that he didn't care about something. It achieved nothing to get upset about someone else believing it. "It is well known that Tony Stark never remembers his one-night-stands. An adult has the ability to rationalize that kind of callousness; a child does not."

"I agree," Pepper enunciated carefully, "that a child should not have to deal with that, but I think you and your client are misunderstanding a fundamental aspect of Tony's character. He would never separate a child from its mother, but I think he would like a chance to be involved." She smiled despite herself at the thought of Tony changing a diaper. "I think he would—"

The sound of arguing in the reception area drew both of their attention. Pepper rose immediately when the door burst open. Millicent was shouting for security even as the two arguers entered Tony's office. It only took a moment for Pepper to recognize both men, despite how Tony was wearing some ridiculous baseball cap and hoodie combination and Eddie Brock looked like he had been living in a dumpster. Tony leaned out the door to let Millicent know that security was probably not going to be needed before shutting the door on the receptionist.

Pepper opened her mouth to ask where Harry was when she spotted him running towards her. She had barely a moment to brace before the little boy crashed into her legs. He pressed his face into the fabric covering her stomach as Tony and Eddie went back to yelling at each other. His thin arms shook as he clung to her like he was terrified.

No, _because_ he was terrified.

Rage flickered through her as she laid one hand gently on Harry's back and raised the other to her lips. Her sharp whistle cut through the nonsense the two were sprouting at each other. Both men turned to look at her as if just realizing that she was in the room. Then they both tried to apologize at once. The stammering would have been cute if it wasn't for the child trembling against her waist from their misbehavior.

"I cannot believe you two," Pepper snapped. "If I didn't know better, I would say that you were both children with the way you were carrying on. It's bad enough that you were screeching at each other, but you did it in front of Harry?"

"I didn't expect the kid—"

Pepper flinched backwards, taking Harry with her, when a black goo-thing grew out of Eddie's back. Tony blinked rapidly before shaking his head and shrugging as if just accepting what was happening. Behind her, Weying sighed as if deeply disappointed.

"That's not just a kid," the goo-thing said. "That's an aberration."

Harry flinched at the word as if struck. Pepper's hand slipped up to his neck at the movement. A taste like lemon-scented wood polish filled her mouth. She held up her free hand to silence everyone.

"If you call him any version of that again," Pepper declared, "I don't care what you are, I will destroy you in the most painful way imaginable. Do you understand?"

"I like her," the goo said instead of replying. "She deserves a large pile of heads."

Eddie winced before rubbing his face with both hands. Pepper felt Harry twisting to look at the pair. She could imagine that the boy had the same shocked but faintly admiring look that Tony now had. She had to admit that despite how disturbing the idea of it was, a large pile of heads reminded her of what a stray cat might give someone. Dropping his hands, Eddie looked a mixture of embarrassed and frustrated.

"I'm sorry for Venom," Eddie said. "I'll try to explain the situation to him, but we're still working on him understanding how things are with humans. You know, like how pissing off a woman defending a child is _playing with fire_."

"That is not—"

"Dude!"

"So," Tony cut in before the bickering could escalate, "I'm guessing this is a new thing."

"Oh, he's had the parasite for a while," Weyling said drily. Pepper recognized the expression on the attorney's face. Weyling wanted to throw something at the man. She had half a mind to offer one of her heels. What stopped her was how Harry began to shake against her.

"Harry, baby," she tried, rubbing against his neck, "what—"

"He's a cat," Harry said as he pulled his face away from her. The motion pushed his neck harder against her palm, making the image of the goo head with cat ears more solid in her mind's eye. For some reason, the ears were white with bright pink centers. She struggled to frown down at the boy who was descending into a fit of giggles. "He's a _cat_. Does that make Mr. Brock what the cat dragged in?"

Eddie made an affronted noise, but the rest of them followed Harry into laughter.

-= LP =-  
_To Be Concluded_  
-= LP =-


	3. Alekto

**Warnings: **In addition to the standard "this may offend you", this piece references the various abuses that both Tony & Harry have experienced, both in this 'verse and in canon. There's also references to canon typical anti-mutant sentiments and SHIELD's shady shadiness. It's a melancholy fluffiness, but it is fairly fluffy.

**Author's Note**: Okay, so no matter how I tried, the mood of this chapter would not shift to allow for my humorous family bonding over Hanukah activities ideas. I want to do them, along with detailing the Epic Failures to infiltrate the Stark Household that occur before _Something Like Soaring_ picks up, but I'm struggling to find the necessary bird/Greek myth references for titles. Well, and also the necessary combination of the Writer's Trifecta, but what writer doesn't struggle with that?

**Challenge/Competition Block**:  
**Stacked with:** MC4A (Ship; SpB; TrB; Hunt; Link; Chim; T3; SN; FPC; BAON; Star; Fence)  
**Individual Challenges:** Chilled MCU Bribery (Y); Writing with Music; Magical MC; Metahuman MC; Military MC (x2); Bard MC (x2); Neurodivergent (x2); Rian-Russo Inversion (x3); Ethnic & Present (x2); Small Fry; Laws; Claimed (x2); Ship Sails; Zed Era; Old Shoes (x2) (Y); Marvelous Cinema; Short Jog; The Real MC; Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Green Ribbon  
**Other MC4A Challenges (Prompt):** Sp Bingo [2B](Sweet); Tr Bingo [5C](True Companions); Hunt [Sp Writing Diversity](Black Character); Ship [Sp Micro 1](Fusion with Another Fandom)  
**Representation:** Tony/Rhodey QPR; Iron Family; Roberta Rhodes  
**Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenge(s):** Found Family; Nontraditional; Zucchini Bread; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Rediscovery; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; White Dress); Chorus (Wabi Sabi); Demo (Nightingale; Triton's Domain; Easy Zephyr); Demo (A Long Dog; Some Beach)  
**Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges:** T3 (Tether); SN (Rail; Ameliorate)  
**Word Count**: 2552

-= LP =-  
**Erinyes**  
Part 03: Alekto  
-= LP =-

Tony gestured wildly as he explained something to the architect next to him. He was deeply entrenched in the conversation, enough so that Roberta was tempted to just follow Harold into the house. James would be inside, as would her new grandchild, but Roberta just knew that if she skipped over greeting Tony that he would use it as an excuse to hold himself back from her and work himself into emotional knots over his worthiness. No matter how old he got, he would always be that ragged-edged fourteen-year-old that she had dragged home and taken into her heart.

And if she knew nothing else, she knew how her children thought.

So she waited until the architect had walked towards the crew surveying the space Tony had just been indicating before approaching Tony herself. She immediately folded him into her arms. Even after all these years, he remained stiff for an endless moment before melting against her chest. That was an old and familiar ache that no longer brought with it any bit of heat.

Not that Tony's continued uncertainty wasn't worth anger—her babies hurting was always going be worth being angry about. But the lessons (and those who had taught them) were just ghosts lingering in the present. Anger would do none of them any good.

"You have no idea how happy I am to have you back, baby," Roberta whispered into his hair. She pulled back just enough to press a kiss to his temple. "You boys are gonna turn me gray before my time. Just when I get used to James' work, you or Joseph will get into some mess or another. Don't think that I'm not on to you three."

"In my defense," Tony muttered into her blouse, "I don't get into near as much trouble as Joey."

"Do you really think that I don't know who funds his little hideaway?"

"Who funds what now?" Tony asked as he pulled away. He had his best attempt at an innocent expression on his face, as if she hadn't had all the practice in the world seeing through such things. She tweaked his nose to distract him from the smile she could feel spreading across her face. "Well, it's not like I don't have the money just sitting around gathering digital dust. It might as well go to help someone who needs it."

"You are such a good boy," Roberta agreed, cupping his cheeks so that he couldn't look away and pretend that she wasn't serious. "I am so proud to call you one of my own, baby."

"_Mama_," Tony said, overwhelmed. His brown eyes shimmered in the sun as he fought back tears. He wouldn't cry, of course. In the over twenty years that she had known him, Tony had never cried in front of her. Deciding to take pity on him, Roberta dropped her hands from his face in favor of drawing him back in for another hug. After a long moment, he pulled back to stand on his own.

"Now, tell me about whatever outrageous project you're paying these nice people to build."

"Well," Tony hedged, drawing out the world. "I wouldn't call it _outrageous_. It's just play equipment. It's for, uh, physical enrichment activities."

"Look at you," Roberta said with a laugh. "You've been reading parenting books! But seriously, what kind of play equipment requires an architect and an engineer to design? You must have some kind of grand plan in the works."

"It's nothing," Tony dismissed with enough casualness in his voice that Roberta knew it had to be important. She let him stew in silence, working himself up to a confession. "I was just remembering the training course that Ana and Jarvis had back when I was a kid." Tony shoved his hands into his pants pockets. "It seemed like something that Harry would enjoy having, especially since we've got to stop taking him to the public parks within driving range and Pepper won't let me build one on the SI campus."

"Given the potential for accidents with all the R&D at the LA headquarters, I'm really not surprised," Roberta acknowledged. Then she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Now why do you have to stop taking the boy to the park?"

"This organization has been hanging around since we've got back," Tony explained. "At first glance, they look and sound fairly legit, just standard Alphabet Soup stuff. They are, at least nominally, a US government organization with specialization in intelligence and defense. They are even shadier than the CIA, though, because I can't find anything about them on the public web beyond a bunch of conspiracy theories—of the kind that I would have dismissed as too nutty to be real just a few months ago."

"Before you were kidnapped," she said ruthlessly. "Tony, is Harry…is he special?" Tony gave a single nod. "So this organization—they're after my new grandbaby, aren't they? But James said he was six!"

"You've read the literature, Mama," Tony reminded her. Not that it did anything to stop the ice from forming in her gut. "Sometimes stress can trigger a mutation to manifest before puberty, and while JARVIS is still not giving up the original info, it's kind of obvious that Harry's life was all kinds of stressful even before he ended up in that cave. But I—"

"You think he was born with it manifested," she muttered through numb lips. "That poor baby."

"He's…he's fairly well adjusted, all things considered. JARVIS says so, at least." Tony rubbed the back of his neck. Roberta braced herself for more bad news. "You do need to either avoid skin contact or understand that he can't really shut it off, at least not yet. Happy says that the passive mental shield trick works unless Harry's either pushing or in the middle of one of his episodes. If he's having a flashback, Harry can even beat Rhodey's battle smoothness."

"What's his power exactly? Telepathy covers a pretty wide berth."

"Memories," Tony answered immediately. Roberta gave him a Look despite how he was now looking towards the front door of the mansion. Her instincts told her that while he wasn't lying, there was something he was holding back. "He pulls them forward or parts of them. He can also transfer them. It's how we're currently working through when his words run away. He's learning sign as well, but it's slow going. He has this thing where his hands don't want to work either. He doesn't drop things but anything finer than that doesn't cooperate."

"Have you found him a doctor yet?" she asked as gently as she could. Tony, God bless him, had a stubborn streak a mile wide when it came to doctors of all sorts. With all the trouble that doctors had caused and could cause in today's climate, who could blame him, though? Mutations weren't protected by patient confidentiality. Even worse, there were already people sniffing around the boy. "Maybe Jenny knows someone?"

"She had a few names, yeah," Tony agreed. Again, she got the feeling that he was holding something back. He caught her frowning at him this time, too. "Most of them have ties to organizations that I'm still checking out. The only local one looks fairly clean, though. Has a fairly recent divorce from a woman who doesn't appear to _exist_, but other than that, his credentials are unquestionable. He even specializes in the same stuff that Jenny does, which is the problem."

"You don't know if this…"

"Andrew Garner," Tony supplied.

"You don't know if this Dr. Garner has ties to the same organization bothering ya."

"I can't risk him, Mama," Tony whispered. "Harry is…"

"Your son," Roberta finished for him. She signed the sharpest _no_ she could muster when he opened his mouth to protest. "You know darn well how little blood matters when it comes to determining family. Harry is as much your son as you are mine, possibly even more so, as I never had a court issue paperwork giving me the right to keep ya."

"It's more than that." He looked like he was bracing for something. "I knew a man, a friend of Aunt Peggy's from way back when. Something had happened to him once upon a time, long before I had even been born, and he barely escaped what he only called _the dark dimension_. He'd talk about it sometimes, how he could see the shadows coming to take him back. I used to think it was just stories to scare me into following lab safety protocols."

"What does that have to do with Harry?"

"I think it's a real place," Tony said, "and I think Harry's connected to it in some way." He rubbed the back of his neck again. "I think that's the best explanation for certain things, things that can't be explained by mutations and playing house with terrorists. It would also explain why Eddie's new sidekick called Harry an aberration."

"What a horrible thing to say about a child—"

"Well, _yeah_, but see, I looked it up afterwards. Eddie is a complete nerd, and Venom—that's Eddie's new sidekick. He's sort of an alien, which is a long story for another time—would have learned what passes as English from being in his head. Aberration is a creature type in D&D, specifically the kind of creature that has been touched by extraplanar forces. Another dimension would definitely count."

"Sounds like comic book science to me," Roberta said doubtfully. Tony laughed. He sounded halfway to a breakdown. When he spoke, his voice was heavy with the bitterness.

"I fly around in a metal suit. There are people born with all sorts of superpowers. There's some guy who turns into a green behemoth and smashes drug lords. My father pumped an asthmatic full of a serum that turned him into the epitome of humanity. Honestly, we're just an invasion of shape-shifting aliens away from living in a comic book already!"

"Don't tempt the universe, sweetheart." She frowned, taking in the bags under his eyes. "Are you even sleeping? Didn't any of those parenting books mention that you should sleep when the baby does?"

"Harry's not really a baby," Tony protested.

"You're all babies to me," she replied, "every single one of you. More importantly, you're all _my_ babies. Now where is my newest grandbaby?"

"He's inside with Rhodey and Pepper—uh, and there may be something else."

"Mmhmm," Roberta offered. Tony had the same look about him that all teenagers got when caught doing something they knew would get them into some kind of trouble. Considering that the man didn't have a curfew set by her and already had four PhDs, she doubted it was sneaking or playing hooky from school.

"There's a pending suit." The last time he had used that shamed voice, she had been called because Jamie had been injured in some stunt involving a protest about tofu. He was watching her face. To keep from showing any reaction, Roberta had to remind herself that Howard Stark was nothing but a ghost lingering in the present. "A paternity suit. The timing works out."

"But you've only been back six weeks," she protested. "Not to be indelicate, but when did you have the time?"

"It was before I left," Tony confessed. "Right before, actually. Pepper showed her out before putting me on the plane. All she wants is medical bills and education, according to Pep who is in talks with the attorney representing her."

"That woman is a force," Roberta commented. "The way she handled things while you were gone was beyond words. You know that Stane was beginning to make noise about having you declared officially dead, right? And overturn your will to boot?"

"I'm still playing catch-up," Tony admitted. He gave a wry smile. "Things have been a little hectic, what with a kid and Iron Man. But yeah, I had come across references to that interview."

"I know that he's your godfather," Roberta said, "and I don't mean to be uncouth, but that man has always struck me as a bit of snake-oil salesman and now he disappears while there's an internal audit going on? Does JARVIS have any leads on where he might have scuttled off to?"

"JARVIS isn't looking." The words had a finality to them that Roberta knew better than to question. Tony didn't give her the chance either. He clapped his hands before spreading his arms. "Now, we've dawdled out here for long enough. If we linger any more, Pep will send a search party."

They entered the mansion and followed the sounds of people to the living room. Roberta recognized three of the four people there. Jamie, Harold, and Virginia were obvious. Jamie was her son while Harold and Virginia had been staples in Tony's life for over a decade. Her gaze was drawn to the small boy playing the piano.

And he was so small. James had mentioned that Harry was small for his age. Tony had said that it was obvious that Harry's life before meeting him had been stressful. It wasn't until she had laid eyes on him that Roberta had started thinking about what it all meant. The boys had been back from Afghanistan six weeks, but Harry still had gaunt cheeks. The fingers dancing over the keys were more like twigs than fingers. His wrists were knobs.

Regardless of whatever else had been done to the poor baby, he had been starved. She had seen enough of the urchins that Joey took in to know the difference between going hungry because there wasn't enough and the deliberate cruelty of deprivation. Despite no one knowing how long those monsters had had him before they had also taken Tony, it was clear to Roberta that Harry had just traded one set of monsters for another.

Roberta considered herself a good woman. She knew that for all of the biblical fuzziness on kneecaps, there was not really any wiggle room in the Commandments on killing someone. Violence was rarely the best answer to anything, a lesson that she had taught all of her children and any children they brought her in return. But whoever would hurt the sweet boy playing the haunting song on Tony's piano deserved to be put down like a rabid dog, and for the same reason.

"Deep in December, it's nice to remember," Tony sang along as he left her side, ""The fire of September that made you mellow." His voice was rich and surprisingly solid. Roberta couldn't remember the last time she had heard him sing. Probably before his relationship with that Bain woman-that one had very nearly cost Roberta two of her sons, and she would never forgive the woman, no matter how unchristian that was of her. "Deep in December, our hearts should remember then follow."

"Then follow," Harry repeated as he finished the song. Tony pressed a kiss to his forehead, not seeming to hesitate despite his normal reluctance and what he had said about Harry's mutation. Seeing that soothed an ache in her that she thought would never be. No matter what happened before, her boys were home now.

They all had time to figure out the rest.

_Together_.

-= LP =-  
An Ending  
-= LP =-


End file.
